Seattle-based Tim Carey is a multi-instrumentalist, music educator, composer and member of the zany sextet Reptet, a delightful outlaw jazz troupe I stumbled upon a few years back (he is also a member of the fusion outfit Hardcoretet). For the first album under his own name, Room 114, Carey sticks to the electric bass exclusively in the service of contemporary jazz, and all the music which he composed himself is a little tamer than the Reptet fare. “Tamer” is not a euphemism for “uninteresting” in this case, as his songs’ friendly and light manner belie the detailed harmonics and rhythmic patterns running close underneath. Carey’s bass style is somewhat mindful of Jimmy Haslip, but instead of making this record a bass orgy, he gets his supporting players very much involved: Brendan Odonnell (guitar), Eric Verlinde (piano, keys), Jeff “Bongo” Busch (drums) and Tarik Abouzied (drums). There are Brazilian currents running through nearly all of these ten tracks, and in a variety of ways. The bouncing, quicksilver lines played by both Carey and Odonnell add some spark to the Brazilian inspired tune “Bass Baiao” (Youtube below), and there are plenty other examples of songs that strike the right balance between composition and improvisation. Room 114 reveals another side of this talented performer, and another satisfying way to experience the artistry of Tim Carey.

S. Victor Aaron is a CPA and mid-level data analyst for a Fortune 100 company by day, music opinion-maker at night. His musings are strewn out across the interwebs on jazz.com, AllAboutJazz.com, a football discussion board and some inchoate customer reviews of records from the late 1990s on Amazon under a pseudonym that will never be revealed. Contact him at svaaron@somethingelsereviews.com.